Ch. 7 Flashcards
family systems approach
provides framework for making sense of complex interactions within a family
-family as composed of people and relationships in the system, interconnected and requiring adjustment after disequilibrium caused by changes within people or relationships
dyadic subsystem
2 person connection between each person, and combinations of 3+ people
2 principles of family systems
1) subsystems influence each other in family
2) change in system results in disequilibrium until adjustment occurs
boundaries
implicit rules that govern subsystem interactions
-dictate what behaviors and communications are acceptable for family members
3 aspects of family systems with implications for adolescents
1) parent changes at midlife
2) sibling relationships
3) extended family relationships
parent changes at midlife
adolescence and emerging adulthood tend to overlap with parents processing midlife
-time of high satisfaction than crisis
-increase in wisdom, psychological health, competence, respect from others, financial and social opportunities
-decrease in energy, health, creativity, physical appearance
how accurate is the empty nest syndrome?
emerging adults’ autonomy may be welcomed by most parents, giving them time to focus on paths
-stereotype is that it is difficult for parents
-84% of midlife adults missed children
-60% enjoyed having more time with partner and themselves
5 patterns sibling relationships
1) caregiver
2) buddy
3) casual
4) rival
5) critical
caregiver
parental functions served by sibling
-often older/younger sibling roles
buddy
siblings are friends, acting like one another
-wanting to be together
casual
siblings have little to do with one another
-lack of closeness
rival
competition and measuring success against one another
critical
high level of conflict and teasing
how does divorce affect sibling relationships?
increased hostility and warmth (intensity)
-support and shared experience persists, leaving them closer
extended family
80% of American adolescents list at least 1 extended family member among the most important people
-closeness to grandparents is positively correlated to well-being for adolescents, though time spent with extended family decreases over adolescents
-in divorced families, adolescents have greater contact with maternal grandfathers who provide financial or emotional support and role-modeling
extended family support
in traditional cultures, young men stay in family home when they marry
–women live with husbands’ family
-living with extended family members promotes closeness with grandparents > parents
–grandparents focus more on nurturing and less on authority and control
-promote academic and social success
4 parenting roles
characterized by variance in demands and responsiveness
1) authoritative
2) permissive
3) authoritarian
4) disengaged
authoritative
high demands and responsiveness
-adolescent outcomes: independent, creative, self-assured, socially skilled
permissive
low demands, high responsiveness
-adolescent outcomes: dependent, passive, conforming
authoritarian
high demands, low responsiveness
-adolescent outcomes: irresponsible, conforming, immature
disengaged
low demands and responsiveness
-adolescent outcomes: impulsive, delinquent, early sex, drugs
reciprocal effects
parenting style doesn’t create a person
-children bring personalities and goals to parenting relationship
-causality isn’t uni-directional
-evocative -> enviro. effects:
–aggressive adolescents invoke authoritative parenting
–mild-tempered adolescents evoke permissive parenting because they don’t seem to require boundaries or oversight
differential parenting
parents are perceived by acting differently towards children
–may be result of authentic differences drawn out by evocative -> enviro. effects
-perceptions of parenting may be more so the perception of adolescents
-adolescents perceiving parents as authoritative -> happier and better functioning
nonshared environments
evidence for differential parenting in terms of warmth and negativity
–the more closely related siblings were genetically, the more similar their experience of parental negativity was
(evocative -> enviro. effect
-adolescents’ reports have more negativity than parents’
-discrepant ratings in younger adolescents have poorer outcomes
culture and parenting style
dominated by American ideals of independence and individuality
–hard to apply to traditional or collectivist cultures
-in traditional cultures, parents expect their rules and wishes to be obeyed
–success not defined in terms of becoming a strong individual with personal satisfaction outside of membership to cultural institutions
-from culture of 1800s to 2000s in US, functions for adolescents changed from all (edu., religion, med. care, economic support, recreation and emotional support/affective) to just affective/emotional support
divorce processes
adolescents whose parents had divorced in childhood are at risk for psychological and behavioral issues
-adolescents show fewer effects of divorce than younger children
-as emerging adults, effects of divorce center on anxiety in considering marriage, knowing it can end in divorce and not wanting to repeat patterns
-parenting styles may equalize back to pre-divorce status
–less affectional and consistent and more permissive before/after divorce
-closeness with fathers declines after divorce
–at age 15, adolescents in divorced families live an avg. of 400 miles from father
–half haven’t seen him in a year
-economic stress
